Favorite Characters: Ian Chesterton (Doctor Who)

I’ve already written about Barbara, and she’s hardcore amazing on her own, but you really can’t have one without the other, and I thought Ian needed some love as well.  While I’m not sure if, like Barbara, he’d make my classic Who companion Top Five, but I’m almost positive he’s in my overall companion Top Ten.  Let’s hear it for the science teacher!  (A few Ian-related spoilers.)

Again, as with Barbara (I promise I’ll stop with the comparisons soon,) one thing I really love about Ian is how blame teacher-y he is.  It’s so great to watch him with Susan, explaining things to her and appreciating her love of learning.  I also enjoy the way the One-era serials always tend to start out with just some general exploration; Ian is really in his element studying alien flora and speculating what sort of planet they’ve landed on.  Not to mention, you can see that, although he’s always intrigued to learn something new, he gets just the slightest bit on the defensive when the Doctor starts talking over his head with the sci-fi babble.  Hee!

As I’ve said before, the Doctor doesn’t actually invite Ian and Barbara aboard the TARDIS but instead abducts them after they stumble upon it, and so Ian doesn’t come into his adventures with a “companion mindset.”  At first, his main focus is just on keeping himself, Barbara, and Susan (and, since he’s their only hope of getting home, the Doctor) safe in whatever unwelcoming environment the TARDIS takes them to.  He shows off a surprisingly-effective set of survival skills and demonstrates a lot of courage and determination, taking on wild foes he never could have dreamed of.

But as time goes on, Ian really gets into the spirit of things (as do the others,) which is a fun aspect of the One years.  Especially with the historicals, there’s enough space to feel our heroes getting acquainted with the culture of whatever time/place they’re in, complete with the local clothing, customs, and cuisine (not that there’s never an element of “(20^th-century) England Knows Best,” but I appreciate that they don’t just stand on the outside looking in.)  In particular for Ian, that seems to mean learning a lot of local fighting styles.

Yep, Ian is way more badass than any science teacher I ever had, and yet he doesn’t generally carry himself like a tough guy or otherwise-formidable guy.  It’s an aura he only pulls out when he needs to – when he and/or the others are in danger and he’s trying not to look like easy pickings – but the skills are always at the ready.  Whether he’s facing opponents in the Aztec empire, alongside Marco Polo, or during the French Revolution, Ian knows how to throw down and often holds his own.  It’s a surprising characterization, because the knit sweaters and overall unassuming nature might lead viewers to see him only within the context of a much narrower archetype, but there’s a lot more to him than that.

While he and the Doctor clash over ideas early on (again, abduction, so it’s understandable,) I like the power dynamic they settle into, wherein each respects the other for the specific assets he brings to team TARDIS.  Just as Ian recognizes that the Doctor is capable of being more than self-serving and curmudgeonly, the Doctor that learn Ian is no mere primitive being who doesn’t know what he’s doing.  Over time, they learn to share their leadership role rather than quarrel over it, which is cool to see.